


"Where The Wind Is Like A Balm" - Femslash

by RayVermilion



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 19:01:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11259003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayVermilion/pseuds/RayVermilion
Summary: Florina helps Lyndis with a matter that no one else can handle.





	"Where The Wind Is Like A Balm" - Femslash

In the courtyard, Florina hid behind her pegasus, Huey, when a servant shouted to her from the castle entrance. She crouched behind the left wing, holding onto the reins, as Huey turned his head and sniffed her pocket bag.

The servant approached them. “Lord Lyndis needs you.”

“What happened?” Florina said, gripping the wing.

 “I don’t know. But she said it was urgent.”

“Where is she?”

“In her bedroom.”

“Look after Huey,” Florina said, holding up the reins.

The servant stared at her raised arm as she cowered behind the wing. He grabbed the reins while Florina sprinted past him. When she reached the castle’s entrance, she leaned against a wall, panting as her cuirass clinked with each breath. Then she ascended the spiral staircase, and on the next floor, the candles on the walls lit the corridor. Her footsteps echoed until she reached the room at the hallway’s end.

Florina knocked on the door. “Lyn. It’s Florina. Are you okay?”

The door opened, and Lyndis stuck her hand out towards the room. “Come in,” she said, motioning Florina inside. There was a pile of cloaks and dresses near the bed, and the curtains were on the floor by the window. Next to it was a desk where its crumpled parchments littered its surface, and if one examined the wood, they could notice the ink stains.

“Everything’s so messy,” Florina said, looking around the room. “Were you robbed?”

“No,” Lyndis said, sitting at the table in the room’s center.

Florina sat next to her. “So what happened here?”

“I can never clean up. I’ve been busy.”

“With what?”

“Succession duties. My grandfather thinks he’ll die soon. So he wants me to lead Caelin. He’s been teaching me things I need to know.” Lyndis sighed. “But it’s so annoying. From paperwork to meetings, there’s always work to do. It doesn’t end. I’m not fit for this.” Lyndis rubbed her shoulder. “But that’s not the problem. I—lost the Mani Katti.”

Florina gasped. “When?”

“I don’t know. I had some time for training yesterday, but I couldn’t find it.

“Where did you last see it?”

“The armory, but it’s not there. I need your help.”

“Me?” Florina said, tugging on her sleeve. “What about the other knights?”

“They can’t keep a secret.”

 “How about the servants?”

 “They hate me. They just don’t show it. One time I overheard them talking about me. They said if a Sacean ruled Caelin, it would be the end of everyone. A ruler can’t lose a sacred sword.”

Florina and Lyndis turned to the door when they heard footsteps from the corridor. There was a knock on the door. “It’s time,” the person said.

“I’m changing,” Lyndis said, getting up from her chair. She turned to Florina. “Will you help me?” Lyndis said, touching Florina’s shoulder.

Florina rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t think I can.”

“I wouldn’t ask if you couldn’t.” Lyndis said. When she left the room, Florina lowered her head. How could she find the Mani Katti? With a castle this big, it would take months. And even then, there was no guarantee it was still here. Florina sighed and kicked a crumpled piece of parchment. It flew through the air and then landed on the pile of clothes. Florina thought it must have been frustrating to live in this mess. Even though she was a knight and not a maid, cleaning the room could improve Lyndis’ mood. If she can’t find the Mani Katti, she might as well do this for her.

Florina threw out the parchments. The cloaks were folded and placed in the wardrobe. The windowsill was brushed with a feather duster. As Florina tidied the bedsheets, she wondered why combat couldn’t be as easy as cleaning. Lyndis defeated every foe she fought, but Florina needed assistance with most enemies. She was fine with having help against archers, but she even struggled against swordsman, and wondered what aspect of combat Lyndis understood better than her.

After an hour, all that was left were the curtains on the floor. When Florina touched them, she felt something underneath them. It felt slender through the velvet, and when she lifted the curtains, it was the Mani Katti. The scabbard’s leather was rough against her fingers. Florina drew the sword, expecting the blade to shine as bright as it did when Lyndis pulled it from the church’s altar, but the metal’s glow was faint like a torch’s embers after being hit by a squall.

As Florina gripped the handle, she wondered how Lyndis could be dexterous with a thin blade. She swung the blade, thinking of Lyndis dashing across the plains during battle. Disappearing like a phantom, and then lunging at the enemy’s heart so fast that they were dead when the blood hit the ground.

Florina spun, slicing the air to cut through imaginary bandits. Then she jumped and swung the sword like a club. When it hit the floor, the blade’s tip broke off. Florina stared at the metal piece and dropped the sword. How could she explain this? Lyndis needed this weapon, and she failed her. This duty was entrusted to her, and now Lyndis was going to hate her. How foolish it was to think she could be as deft as Lyndis.

Then Florina heard footsteps from the corridor, so she tossed the blade under the curtains. When the door opened, Lyndis sighed.

Florina clasped her hands together. “Back already?”

 “Only for so long,” Lyndis said. She looked around the room. “Everything’s clean. Thanks.”

Florina smiled.

Lyndis pointed at the curtains. “I’ll get these for you. You must be tired.”

Florina stood in front of it. “I’ll take care of it.”  
            “But you already did enough.”

“Don’t trouble yourself,” Florina said, holding Lyndis’ hand. “Your break must be over soon right?”

“I have a bit more time.”

Florina glanced at the curtains. “You should lie down. Have you been sleeping?” She sat on the bed and patted the mattress.

“Not as much as I should,” Lyndis said, taking off her boots. She laid on the bed, resting her head on Florina’s lap. “I want to sleep, but I have to talk to other lords. This schedule is crazy.”

Florina curled strands of Lyndis’ hair around her finger. 

“Does your grandfather know how you feel?”

“Not yet. I’m—waiting for the right time. He’s been through so much. If he knew now, he wouldn’t take it well. But I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“Maybe he’ll understand.”

“I hope so. Life in this castle is stifling. I miss Sacae. It’s where the wind feels like a balm. I miss bathing in the rivers. Or stargazing from a hill while the coyotes howl” She turned to Florina. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie like that.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I was—thinking about Huey. I taught him a trick today.”

“You were looking at the curtains.”

“They’re pretty.”

Lyndis lifted her head off Florina’s lap and stood up. “More like distracting. I’ll fold them for you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Florina said, grabbing Lyndis’ hand. “They’re dirty.”

“I’ll give them to a servant.”

“I’ll wash them myself.”

“You’re a knight. You don’t need to do laundry.”

“For you, I’ll do it.”

Lyndis walked past Florina. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll handle it.” She walked towards the curtains as Florina traced a circle with her finger on the bedpost. When Lyndis pulled the curtains, she frowned and then reached underneath the fabric. As she pulled out the Mani Katti, Florina hugged her from behind.

“I’m sorry,” Florina said, resting her head against Lyndis’ shoulder.

“So it was in my room,” Lyndis said, touching Florina’s hands.

“I didn’t mean to break it.”

“What happened?”

“I—wanted to test myself.”

“Test yourself?”

“To know if I was worthy. I didn’t get stronger during our journey to Caelin. You did more than me when I’m supposed to protect you. I haven’t changed since we first met. I’m still weak.”

The memory of their first encounter made Florina never tell anyone what happened. She had fallen off Huey and landed into a tree, where a beehive swung on a nearby branch. When the swarm of bees buzzed near her head, she clung to the trunk and lowered her chin against her chest. Then Lyndis had arrived, swinging a torch until the bees flew away. She had carried her to the hut, where Florina screamed when Lyn pulled stingers out of the skin with a knife. The pain made her cry as Lyndis applied an ointment to the swollen arms.

Now Florina was close to sobbing until Lyndis touched her hands. “The old Florina couldn’t live in a castle with men. And you’re still a knight. You never gave up.”

Florina sobbed. Her tears moistened Lyndis’ back.

“Besides, this is actually better. I rather a broken sword than a lost one.”

“I can stay by your side?”  
            “Always,” Lyndis said, hugging Florina. “Unless I’m with my grandfather.”

 “Would he let me join?”

“Probably not,” Lyndis said. “No outsiders are allowed. But he might if I say you’re my bodyguard. Every lord has one right?”

As they walked towards the door, Florina stared at Lyndis’ ponytail sway with each step, but she knew she couldn’t remain like this. She was a knight that couldn’t defend their lord, and even though Lyndis didn’t need the protection, she still didn’t want to be as useless as a broken sword.


End file.
